Why ride an electric skateboard?
- It's a fast way to commute
- It's easy to maneuver
- Riding one is pretty damn cool, if you'd ask
Why build one yourself?
It's much cheaper for you to build your own electric skateboard than to buy one from an electric skateboard company.
If you see the prices in Amazon, we can see that the high quality boards cost a lot and the underperforming cheap ones go for under $200. When building your own, you can get better values than this.
I will break down the motor drive choices and later talk about the electronics aspect.
A satellite / belt drive is when there is belt system which connects the wheel to a motor located outside the wheel.
A hub motor is a motor that is located directly inside a wheel.
The benefits of each type of drive:
Satellite / Belt Drive
- High speed
- High torque
Hub Motor
- Good for cruising
- No need to change anything**(belts need to be constantly changed in belt drive due to rubber ripping)
- Low profile
When building your own DIY electric skateboards, these are the recommended tools.
1. Soldering Iron - A soldering iron is needed in many places on the board. Many people prefer not to solder but this leads to higher costs of electric skateboards. Therefore, customizing your own electric skateboard requires a bit of soldering. (Ex. Making battery packs, connecting leads, extending/shortening wires)
If on a tight budget, this soldering iron is a great choice.
If budget is not a problem, it is safe to say that a soldering station like this one would be the best to have.
2. Skate tool (T-tool)-In general, every skateboarder should have their own skate tool. This tool is used for unscrewing wheel bolts and trucks.
Satellite / Belt Drive Motors(satellite drive = belt drive):
**All the cost shipping & tax not included1. TorqueBoards motor $90.00
- Good sensor motor for dual set up(This motor has a short length)
- Max power for a small 190kv motor
2. RacerStar Motor: $65.09
- Best sensor motor for price
- Can output high torque and speed at the sweet spot of 200kv
3. Ollin Board Motors
- Many kv ratings and sizes
- Not updated in a while
4. Trampa Boards Motor $217.00
- Can handle recommended current without overheating
5. Turnigy Aerodrive SK3 - 6364-190KV Brushless Outrunner Motor $70.68
- Very popular among esk8 community
- Cheap and affordable option
Motor mounts(only if choosing to use belt drive):
1. Banggood motor mount $39.00
- Easy-to-use motor mount
- Low durability
2. Ebay motor mount $15.00~60.00
- Variety of selections
- Many scams on Ebay
3. Torqueboards(diyelectricskateboard.com) $107.00
- Pulley and mount size adjustable
- High durability and quality
- Very expensive
Hub motors
- Nice torque, strong motors
- Overheating is a bit of a problem -- dual hub motor set up recommended
- Good for 6s through 10s battery
- Very popular hub motors
- Mounting on the trucks a bit less secure
- Overheating not too much of a problem
- Reasonable torque and speed
- Overheating not too much of a problem
- There are no motor urethane(outside rubber-like part of hub) replacements
4. Esk8hubs.com hubs $150.00 ea
- Very strong hub motor even with single drive
- Crazy torque seen
- Has 12 month return and base warranty
5. Nucbot DIY hubs $305.00(truck and 2 hub motors)
- Terrible hub motor for price
- Not much speed or torque
- Doesn't overheat
6. Carvon Speed Drive R($599.00)and XL($699.00)
- Close to no overheating due to direct drive system
- Fast speeds and high torque
- Very pricey
7. Torqueboards(diyelectricskateboard.com) hub motor $165.00
*** If you buy his motor, make sure to put loctite on the screws because they easily fall off when riding--It's very cheap on Amazon
- Very high speeds up to 35mph
- Good wheel size
- Urethane wheels a bit too brittle
My Choice:
Belt drive: I prefer the Racerstar motor with the Torqueboards motor mount. This motor is the best motor for it's price and the Torqueboards motor is the strongest and most well-built out of all. The high price for the motor mount is worth it because it does not break easily like the other motor mounts.
Hub: I think that the esk8hubs.com hubs were the best hubs. These have crazy torque and speed and with a reasonable price tag, this is a great hub motor. However, I recommend that you would get the Carvon direct drives if you are not on a tight budget.
